1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a software system designed for use by database administrators, for content production for electronic catalogs. Additionally, it is generally applicable to data/content creation for any data-driven, information system.
2. Background Art
It is well recognized that procurement systems have traditionally been manual, labor intensive and quite costly operations. Suppliers, for example will do mass mailings of catalogs to potential customers, the customers would browse the catalogs and select items to be purchased; and then the customer would complete a paper order form, or call the supplier to order the items. The entire process, from preparing the catalog to receipt of the order, is very labor intensive and often took several weeks. If a supplier wanted to continually update his catalogs, or provide different price schedules to different customers, the printing, distribution and administrative costs would be substantial.
On a relatively small scale, some suppliers have offered catalogs through computer services, such as PRODIGY TM. Employing PRODIGY TM, a computer user can dial-up a service from home and select items to purchase from various catalogs maintained on the system. Upon selection, PRODIGY TM initiates the order with the supplier. While this has made improvements in typical procurement situations, there are still numerous needs remaining to be fulfilled.
With the recent explosion of the electronic catalogs, there is a continuing effort to find simple, familiar metaphors (i.e. the use of words or pictures to suggest a resemblance like an icon for paper, files, folders, wastebaskets, etc. ) with which to assist users in navigating through catalogs. Currently, these catalogs are based on the tree data structures. Thus there is a need for a highly effective electronic information catalog system which will allow data processing professionals to use the tree metaphor for the content production side of electronic catalogs. As currently envisioned, the users are database/catalog administrators and data entry personal (i.e. people who are data processing professionals) who need a familiar interface with which to create content for electronic catalogs. It is also possible to use this metaphor as a shopper-computer interaction .
Lattice navigation is typically performed via a network presentation control. The display is often provided by "Risc Computers" (Reduced Instruction Set Computers) as they tend to have large monitors that can accommodate the real estate or space required for network display. In addition, the network control comes with some window-based tool kits used for "UNIX", an easy to use operating system which is widely used on a great variety of computers, from mainframes to microcomputers. Users of these systems are usually familiar with network displays. However, this is not true with PC users who are more familiar with tree presentation metaphors such as that used for "File Managers". A search of the related literature has not revealed any use of the tree control to present lattice-data structures as claimed in the present invention. The navigation system of the instant application thus provides an easy migration path for users familiar with the File Manager tree control and is more suitable for window-based, PC computers where the real estate (space) is more constrained. The configurable node-label presentation metaphor of this invention has not been encountered in any other prior art reference.
The applicants are aware of several references which are listed below. The pertinence of these references to the current invention, will be considered and discussed below. A summary review of these references shows that they do not exhibit the elements or features of the instant invention and there is no teachings in these references that contradicts the teachings of the instant invention.
IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin Vol. 37 No. 03 March 1994 By C. Blaha "Tree list, a Dialog Object for viewing, Assigning Values to, and Creating Hierarchical Data Structures".
This technical brochure describes a marketing system for a hierarchical data structure. This reference focuses on the hierarchical data structure where items have links to sub-items. The sub-items could refer to instances, components, or attributes of the parent item. This differs from the link in the tree view of the instant invention where inheritance is indicated. In the TDB indicators on the tree view show only whether the sub-items are hidden, shown or elemental. In addition, none of the inventive elements (1-4) noted above for the instant invention are found in the TDB.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,500,929--Dickinson, et al.,
This Patent focuses on accessing computer resources via an object-oriented operating system with a universal name service directory. This directory facilitates browsing through a set of resources residing on a network. Upon selection of the resource, a user can direct the resource to implement a task in a directed fashion. It also supports the formation of personalized directories to facilitate selection of frequently utilized resources. Similar to Blaha et al., the indicators used in the Dickinson directory view show only whether the sub-items are hidden, shown, or elemental. Additionally none of the key attributes of the instant invention, are found herein.
"A Graphical Entity-Relationship Database Browser" By L. M. Burns et. al. An IBM technical Paper.
A Graphical User Interface (GUI) database browser which shows different presentations of the same scheme is described. The Entity-Relationship Database Browser is a non-procedural, graphical database interface allowing navigation and modification of the database. This publication describes a non-procedural graphical database Entity-Relationship browser (ER) interface. With a click of the mouse it allows the user to navigate through a database, make modifications to instances in the data base, create simple reports, perform queries, create new databases, and modify the schema of existing databases.
Specifically, this reference focuses on a graphical interface used to specify requests to a database instead of using a data manipulation language. The graphical interface is not based on the object centered constraint model of the instant application. The links shown in the figures of this reference are compositional, whereas the links in the tree configuration of the instant invention are inheritance links. Thus none of the attributes of the instant invention are found herein.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,295,261--Simonetti, et al.,
Titled: "Hybrid Database Structure Linking Navigational Fields having a hierarchical Database structure to Informational Fields having a Relational Database Structure".
The fields of each record in a data base are divided into navigational and informational data. This patent focuses on the optimized search of a relational database that uses a topological map (i.e., navigation fields) for navigation. There is no mention of a user interface tree view accompanying the navigation of this structure; consequently, none of the attributes of the instant invention are found herein.
EP Patent Application 0647 909 A1--Harper et al.,
Titled: "Information Cataloging System With Object-Dependent functionality".
This focuses primarily on the creation of an information catalog system allowing non-data processing professionals to define, search, query, and manipulate information objects in their own terms. FIG. 13 of this reference shows their tree view for navigation; which is similar to Blaha et al., and Dickinson et al. The indicators used show only whether the sub-items are hidden or shown (and possibly elemental as well). However none of the attributes of the instant invention, are found herein.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,319,542--King, et al.
Title: "System for ordering items using an electronic catalogue".
There is no teaching of the hierarchical system of the instant application in this reference. Additionally, there is no mention of hierarchical systems, tree views, or taxonomies in this reference. These are all novel aspects of the instant invention.